The combustor of a gas turbine engine mixes and ignites compressed air with fuel, generating hot combustion gases. These hot combustion gases are then directed by the combustor to the turbine section of the engine where power is extracted from the hot gases. The walls of a combustor are lined with float wall panels that protect the body of the combustor liner from damage due to exposure with the hot gases.
Each float wall panel has several cooling pins to offset the float wall panel from the combustor wall, providing a channel of airflow for cooling. The cooling pins also provide increased surface area for heat transfer from the float wall panel to the cooling airflow channel. During engine service operation, the combustor has to withstand extremely high temperatures, oxidizing, corrosive and erosive conditions, all of which can damage the float wall panel and cooling pins attached to the float wall panel of the combustor. Typically, when the combustor float wall panel becomes burnt or damaged, it is discarded and replaced with a whole new panel.
Thus, there exists a need for a reliable method to repair combustor float wall panels. This invention is directed to solving this need and others, thus providing a way to repair, or otherwise work, a combustor float wall panel, thereby reducing the costs involved in working or maintaining gas turbine engines.